This is a blog from a solicitor who works doing purely criminal defence work. I often find myself in utter amazement or red faced with anger working at Police Stations, Magistrates Courts, Crown Courts and even my office. You will find me ranting and raving in this blog about anything and everything that gets up my nose.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Bored?

I keep looking at job adverts thinking should I change my job? I am happy working as a criminal solicitor but I am having some doubts about the firm that I am working for.

My father is a solicitor and he is a sole practitioner dealing exclusively with personal injury work. His firm has suffered over the past decade with various claims companies destroying the market for personal injury work but he is still in business and still pulling in a profit.

My brother is a solicitor dealing with wills and probate. He was made a salaried partner a while ago.

Me, well I am an employed solicitor working in the world of criminal legal aid. I have no interest in working in personal injury or in wills and probate - I have got to where I am today on my own and refuse to exploit family ties to move in to a cushier job.

I am very happy with the type of work I do, and even though my Clients are a mixture of society's unfortunates I enjoy their stories. I cannot even complain about my salary as it seems okay compard to most of my peers.

But am I working for the right firm? And, do I want to continue to work in London? I do not actually live in London as I commute. I keep asking myself these questions and the more I ask these questions the more I think that I am bored in my current job.

The timing is just not right to set up a firm at the moment. There are massive changes about to be made to legal aid, including the possibility of reducing the number of firms doing criminal defence work in London. By mid 2006 the picture should be clearer.

I can see a bleak future for the small crminall firm. The only way to get a living out of crime will be mega-firms with economies of scale on their admin using fairly low paid 1-4 PQEs in the lower courts.

The CPS and the Court Service are both recruiting and the money isn't too bad these days - not to mention that lovely Civil Service pension.

The CPS is developing a career structure to allow lawyers to gain higher rights, then even go on to the Bench. A District Judge gets close on £100k and the hours are good too.

I can see a bleak future for the small crminall firm. The only way to get a living out of crime will be mega-firms with economies of scale on their admin using fairly low paid 1-4 PQEs in the lower courts.

The CPS and the Court Service are both recruiting and the money isn't too bad these days - not to mention that lovely Civil Service pension.

The CPS is developing a career structure to allow lawyers to gain higher rights, then even go on to the Bench. A District Judge gets close on £100k and the hours are good too.

I am not sure that I could work for the CPS. As a Government agency there are many perks in working for the CPS and I hear that the salary is not too bad. But, I see the most prosecutors in Court who complain that they have no time to prepare cases, that they get no support. Then I see some awful prosecutors whose performance is well below par.

I may have been brain washed by defence solicitors but at this stage in my life I would find it diffiucult to switch from defending to prosecuting.

Although I have to say a career as a DJ in the future does sound like a good move.